Part 57 (2/2)

As he said this, Gervais approached the old man, who pushed him away, and bade Monsieur Gerval good-night, apologizing again for his oldest son's conduct.

Lucas took candles and was about to escort the strangers to the room set apart for them, when they heard a noise in the courtyard. The peddlers expressed surprise and Dupre ran to the window to look out; he saw Adeline, dressed in a simple deshabille, holding a light in her hand and walking excitedly through the drifts of snow in the courtyard.

”It is she, monsieur,” said Dupre to his master; ”it's very surprising that she has left her room so late.”

”Is that the poor woman?” asked the old man.

”Pardieu! I want to see the mad woman!” cried tall Gervais; ”I am curious to know whether or not she is pretty.”

He ran at once to the window but Adeline had already returned to her room.

”Good-night, messieurs,” said Gerval to the strangers; ”I will see you to-morrow before you leave.”

The peddlers went up to the second floor, Lucas left them a light, and hastened down to his room, which adjoined the kitchen, taking care to barricade the door, from top to bottom, as Dupre had advised.

The latter, left alone with his master, for the cook had already retired, communicated to Monsieur Gerval his observations on the subject of the strangers.

”You must agree, monsieur,” he said, ”that that tall fellow has the look of a vagabond. His way of talking and of behaving, his lack of respect toward his father----”

”What do you expect? He had had a little too much to drink!”

”His peculiar expressions----”

”He has been in the army.”

”Oh! that isn't the language of a soldier.--G.o.d grant, my dear master, that you do not repent the hospitality you have given to these people!”

”What are you afraid of?”

”I don't know, but everything about them looks suspicious to me; even the silence of that other one, whose sinister expression does not indicate an honest heart.”

”Nonsense, Dupre! calm your excitement and go to bed. A night is soon pa.s.sed.”

”Yes, when you sleep! but it is very long sometimes. What pleases me is that my room is next to yours; if you hear any noise, you will call me instantly, won't you, monsieur?”

”Yes, my good Dupre; go now and don't be frightened.”

Dupre left his master regretfully; the latter went to bed in perfect confidence, and soon forgot in sleep his old servant's words.

Dupre's room was on the first floor, adjoining Monsieur Gerval's; but his door opened on the landing, from which one flight of stairs led up to the second floor and another down to the courtyard.

Tormented by an anxiety which he could not overcome, Dupre resolved to keep awake, and to try to clear up his suspicions. He looked from his window at the strangers' apartment; the light was still burning.

”They have not gone to bed,” he said; ”if I only could hear them talking! I will try.”

He left his room noiselessly, without a light, and went up to the second floor; he stopped at the door of the peddlers' room; but he remembered then that there was a small dressing-room between the hall and the bedroom, which made it impossible to hear what they said, from the landing. Dupre was about to go down again, when he remembered that the top of the chimney of the room where the strangers were was directly in front of the round window in the loft. He at once went up to the loft, walking with the utmost precaution. He opened the round window very softly, crawled out on his stomach, and placed his ear near the top of the flue; then, thanks to his nearness to the floor below, he easily heard the following conversation:

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